The Threat in Alminea
by Flagger
Summary: When Link goes to the country Alminea to combat a seemingly invinsible Dark Nut, Zelda tags along, which turns out to be a big mistake. Involves original characters. Rated T for violence and some language. Probably not a LinkxOC, but it might be later.
1. The Dark Nut

Hi, and welcome to "The Threat in Alminea" (pronounced Al-min-AY-uh). The first chapter of this story is based off a dream that I had a few nights ago that was quite...interesting. If you had a dream like this one, you'd probably want to get yourself checked out. Me, I turned it into a fan fiction! Yippee for me!

Anyways, only minor details in this chapter stray from my dream. You'll understand why that is scary after you've read the whole chapter. Hehehe.

So, here is chapter one. . . .

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Link used the golden key to unlock the door to the next room. When he walked inside, he saw nothing but a round platform over a large pool of molten lava. It reminded him vaguely of the room where he had fought Volvagia, but it obviously wasn't the same. The round platform was held up by iron chains and looked a bit unsteady. Several crates lined the outside of it. Link suspected that they helped to balance the platform.

"I don't like this place," Zelda commented, walking up behind Link. "There seems to be nobody here."

"There has to be someone here," he said. "This is the main room of this dungeon." He walked out onto the platform, climbing over one of the boxes in his way. Zelda did not follow him. Instead, she looked up to see something falling from the ceiling.

"Link! Look out!" she cried. He looked up and rolled out of the way just in time. Right where Link had been standing before was a Dark Nut in black and gold armor. He had no shield and his sword was much thinner than what was the norm for a Dark Nut. Zelda noticed that he had no visible straps holding his armor on.

"You did receive my message," the Dark Nut hissed. "I was concerned that it may not have made it to you."

"Yeah, I got it," Link replied, drawing his sword.

"And you walked right into my trap," the Dark Nut said. He held up an armored hand and the only exit from the room locked. "Though, I must admit, I did not expect you to bring the princess along. You must have known that this little venture would be dangerous."

"I couldn't let Link go alone," Zelda explained. "I figured that I had to help him." The Dark Nut laughed.

"Help him? You can only get in the way," he said, still laughing. "But, there is a small advantage to you being here."

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"I won't spoil the surprise," he replied. He looked over toward Link, who had his sword and shield at the ready. "Enough talk, though. I'm sure you're anxious to cut me down."

Not waiting for the Dark Nut to make the first move, Link lunged at him. The Dark Nut parried the blow with ease and punched at Link, but he blocked it with his shield. The force of the punch sent Link flying several feet backwards into one of the crates, knocking it over the side of the platform.

"Lucky for you that crate was there," the Dark Nut said tauntingly. Link got back to his feet and lunged again, and again, his attack was parried. This time, though, the Dark Nut aimed a kick at his midsection. Link tried to get his shield up, but he was too slow. The kick nailed him right in the gut, sending him into another crate. The crate shattered as Link hit it, and Link had to quickly grab the edge of the platform to keep from falling into the lava.

The Dark Nut gave him enough time to pull himself back up onto the platform before attacking again. Link rolled out of the way and got back up to his feet. _That was a powerful kick, _he thought. _My midsection feels like it's on fire. _

"You're disappointing me, Hero," the Dark Nut said. "I expected for someone with your reputation to be better than this." He lunged at Link again and Link parried the attack and slashed at the Dark Nut's side, but his sword bounced harmlessly off of the black and gold armor.

"Dammit!" Link shouted as another attack did nothing to the Dark Nut. The Dark Nut laughed and he kicked Link in the side, sending him flying into another crate, shattering it like the last one.

"It's useless, Hero," he said as Link climbed painfully back to his feet. "None of your attacks can get through my armor. I doubt that even a Light Arrow could."

"You've really done your homework on me, haven't you?" Link asked, trying to buy himself some time to come up with a plan. The Dark Nut laughed again.

"I may be from a different country, Hero, but I know all about you," he responded. He lunged at Link, and Link rolled out of the way. "Just dodging now, huh? Can't think of anything better?" The taunts were really starting to piss Link off. He aimed an attack at the Dark Nut's legs, hoping that they weren't as heavily armored as the rest of him, but just like when he had struck at the Dark Nut's side, the sword did no damage.

"Link, you need to think of something!" Zelda shouted to him. "You can't let him beat you!"

"I know!" he shouted back to her as he dodged another attack. He tried to avoid another attack, but the Dark Nut had him pinned between several crates. He pushed the crate behind him over the edge of the platform, giving himself just enough space to reduce what would have been a fatal blow to a shallow cut across his chest.

"Good move," the Dark Nut commented. "But now you have nowhere to go. Lucky for you I'm having a good time." The Dark Nut sheathed his sword, grabbed Link by the neck, and threw him to the other end of the platform. A few more crates fell over the edge, and Link struggled to get back to his feet.

"Link!" Zelda cried as he collapsed back onto the floor. The Dark Nut laughed.

"You're not in my league, Hero," he said. "You can't possibly defeat me. You realize that now, don't you? You came all the way to my fortress in Alminea just to lose."

"I haven't lost yet," Link managed to say as he forced himself to stand. He pulled out his bow and charged up a Light Arrow. He felt the arrow sap most of his remaining strength away as it became bright yellow at the tip. He aimed and fired. The arrow coated the Dark Nut in light, but it didn't appear to do any damage to him. "Damn…" Link fell to his knees. He didn't have enough energy to continue the fight.

"Now do you understand?" the Dark Nut asked. "You cannot win." He drew his sword again, lifted the semiconscious hero off the ground, and drove the sword into his chest. Zelda screamed. He pulled the sword out of Link and tossed him aside. Link stirred on the ground, trying to stay conscious. Through his blurred vision, he saw the Dark Nut grab Zelda. "I hope you manage to stay alive," he said. "I would love to fight you again." He vanished with Zelda, and Link also felt the sensation of teleporting. A moment later he found himself outside of the fortress. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a blurred figure looking down at him.

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What do you think? I already have chapter two written, and I'll post it after I get five or so reviews. How's that sound? Please review. You'll get invisible internet cookies if you do! 


	2. Erika

I am terribly sorry for my long delay in updating. To be honest, I've just been a bit on the lazy side. I have up to chapter eight of this fic written, but I really don't want to update until I have some reviews. Does five sound fair? I think it does. If five reviews don't come in about...I dunno...a month or two, I'll just go ahead and update it. But I have to get at least one! Okay?

Now, for chapter two...

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Link awoke to find himself lying on a bed. His wounds were bandaged, and his cap was on the bedside table. His weapons were in the corner. He looked around the room, but he appeared to be the only one in there. He tried to sit up, but his chest flared with pain and he stayed lying down.

"I lost to him," he said aloud, reflecting on the battle. The Dark Nut's armor was too thick for anything to get through. He really had no idea what he could do to hit him. He remembered seeing the Dark Nut grabbing Zelda and vanishing with her. "Zelda!" He sat up hurriedly, ignoring the pain from his wounds. He had to save her. He couldn't just let the Dark Nut keep her prisoner.

"Looks like you're finally awake," a melodic voice said. A girl who looked no older than seventeen had just walked into the room. She wore black, knee-high boots, black pants that tucked into the boots, a frilly white shirt, black corseting on the outside of the shirt, a long black cape over her left shoulder, and a white mask covering all of her face except her chin and a bit of her bottom lip. She was tall and almost skeletally thin. Her long black hair flowed half way down her back, and her bangs hung over her masked face. Two mismatched eyes—one golden, the other bright green—gazed out at him from the eye holes of the mask. "You've been unconscious for almost two days."

"Two days?" Link asked, slightly panicked. A lot could have happened to Zelda in two days.

"Don't worry about your friend," the girl said, practically reading Link's mind. "I'm sure she's fine. You should be more concerned about yourself, right now. You were hurt badly."

"How am I supposed to beat him?" Link asked, more to himself than to her. He felt helpless, which was a feeling he hated.

"I'm sure you'll find a way," she answered. "You're the Hero of Time, after all."

"And who exactly are you?" he asked, looking up at her. She grinned slightly.

"Erika Massenet at your service," she replied, doing a graceful bow. "I'll help you as much as I can, though I can make no guarantees about anything." There was a tapping on the window by the entrance to the room. She looked over at it and cursed under her breath. "He knows you're here, too." Link glanced at the window. A crow-like bird sat on the windowsill, a letter clutched in its beak. Erika sighed and retrieved the letter from the bird. She read it quickly, and cursed again.

"What does it say?" Link asked, looking quizzically at the letter. She handed it to him and he skimmed over it. It read:

Hero of Time:

If you wish to see your beloved princess ever again, you need to come and get her. You can find me anytime at my fortress. You already know the way to my room. But, unfortunately, you can't just waltz in like you did last time. I've put up special barriers that you will need to deactivate in order to get through with your life. Ask your new friend where to find the power sources for them. She should know. Best of luck to you, Hero.

Keisa

_So that's the Dark Nut's name, _Link thought as he read over it a few times before ripping it to pieces. "That's just great," he said sarcastically.

"It was decent of him to warn you about the barriers," Erika commented. "Any other person might have just let you walk right into them. It's quite strange. He must like fighting you."

"He was having a good time the first time I faced him," Link said dryly. "I couldn't exactly say the same." Erika grinned.

"Of course not. His armor is the strongest around. And unlike other Dark Nuts, you can't just cut it off. You need to actually disintegrate it."

"And how am I supposed to do that? The only things that I can think of that could possibly do the job are my Light Arrows, and they don't work against him!"

"We'll find a way. We don't have to worry about that for a while. We need to disable the barriers, first. Then we'll have to worry about him." Link nodded.

"Yeah, but where do we start? I don't know how to shut the barriers down." Erika sighed.

"You didn't pay much attention to that letter, did you?" she asked. "Keisa told you that I know where the power sources are."

"Where are they?"

"There's one to the North, one to the East, one's in Hyrule, and I don't know where the other three are. I suppose we'll have to ask around. I do know that they're in Alminea, though."

"At least we have somewhere to start," he said, walking over to his weapons. "Let's go."

"Not a good idea right now, Link," she responded, stopping him. "You're still injured."

"I'll be fine. I'll heal on the way," he said, proceeding to strap on his sword and shield. "But I can't let Zelda wait any longer." _How sweet, _Erika though dryly. _He does something incredibly stupid because he doesn't want his little princess to be in danger. How very thoughtful of him. _

"You need to rest," she said, getting between him and the door. "You'll be no good to Zelda dead." That got him to think a little. He sighed.

"I know. I won't let that happen." He went around her and walked out the door.

"Idiot," she said, grabbing her rapier and strapping it on. "Complete idiot." With that, she followed him out the door, grabbing a map of Alminea on the way.

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End-Of-Chapter Note: I love Erika. She's practically my alter ego. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	3. On the Road Again

Hey, readers. Long time no update. I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been. . .busy? Lazy? A bit of both? I dunno. Anyway, I should have plenty of time this summer to write, and I plan to post a new chapter every week for this story until I run out of chapters. I do have up to chapter eight written, and I just finished editing chapter four. I'll post that this weekend sometime, assuming that I get computer time. I have changed my writing style slightly, so hopefully it should read a little smoother than before. So. . .please read and review!

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"Okay," Link said when he and Erika were outside. The sun was just rising to the east. "Where are we heading to first?"

Erika opened the map and marked off where the three known power sources for the barriers were. "This one is closest," she answered, pointing to the one in the center of the lake. "It's not that difficult to get to, either. All we have to do is dive."

"I've been in a place that had a similar means of getting in," he commented. "That'll be no problem. Which way do we go?"

Erika pointed to the south. "It'll take us a day or two to get there," she explained. "I have everything that we'll need. Are you sure you want to leave before you've fully recovered? This is your last chance to change your mind."

"I'm sure," he replied without a second's thought. Erika sighed, and he gave a small grin. "Don't worry. I have the ride there to recover over."

"Alright, then. Come on." She began walking south, and Link followed close behind her. Getting a sudden idea, she looked back at Link and asked, "Did you get here on horseback?"

"Yeah," Link said. "I rode Epona. She's waiting for me outside of the fortress. I'll call her. She should be close enough to hear." He pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played a short song on it. A few minutes later, they heard hoof beats. A chestnut colored horse with a white mane and tail was galloping toward them. She whinnied loudly when she spotted Link and she came to a halt in front of him.

"She's happy to see you," Erika observed as Epona nuzzled Link roughly in the chest. He winced, and Erika grinned. "You should be careful," she advised. He rolled his eyes and mounted the horse.

"Do you have a horse?" he asked. "I don't think Epona can carry both of us."

Erika nodded and whistled loudly. A horse whinnied in the distance. A black mare was trotting up to them a few moments later. "This is Alraune," Erika told Link after she had climbed onto the horse's back. "Let's get moving." She nudged Alraune's sides and galloped off, followed closely by Link and Epona.

They rode the entire day, taking short breaks now and then to rest the horses. By the end of the day, they could see the lake in the distance. They made camp and started a small fire for warmth. Link told Erika about some of his past adventures while she listened quietly, staring into the flames.

"And after that, I had to go to the Shadow Temple," Link told her. "It was a very unsettling place. There was a ship that I had to take at one point to get to the next area, but it got attacked by a couple of Stalfos and sunk. Luckily, it had gotten far enough so I could just jump off the front of it to reach the final area in the temple."

Erika looked up at him. "You say the boat sunk?" she asked, and Link nodded. She thought for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "I wonder if it was replaced…"

"Why?" Link inquired.

"That boat, if it reaches the end of the underground river, takes you to the power source for one of the barriers. If it hasn't been replaced, then we'll have to go in another way."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Very. The only other path is a lot more dangerous than the Shadow Temple."

"That's only if another boat isn't there, though," Link pointed out. "If we're lucky, it'll be there." Erika nodded pensively. "It's getting late. We should get some rest."

"You get some rest," she responded, returning her gaze to the fire. "I hardly ever sleep." Link didn't argue. He went inside his tent and closed the entrance. _I hope that boat is back, _Erika thought. _It would be catastrophic for us to go the other route. I haven't been there in years. I don't know how much it may have changed. Now that I mention it, I haven't been to any of the power sources in at least two years. Has anything changed? I suppose I'll find out tomorrow. _The sound of wings stirred her from her thoughts. She looked up to see the same crow-like bird from before. It dropped the letter it was carrying above her, and she caught it.

Erika,

I really didn't think that you would go with the Hero of Time on this little venture. You aren't the kind of person to do that. Furthermore, I didn't think that you would betray me in this manner. I gave you permission to tell him where they were, not escort him to them. I assure you that your betrayal will not go unpunished, but I still have a use for you. I want you to report on the progress of the hero, along with any weaknesses he has, besides the obvious overconfidence in his own strength. I'm sending Kai to keep an eye on you. Tread cautiously, Erika, or your fate is sealed.

Keisa

Erika frowned as she read the note a second time. She was afraid of this. Now, he was after her, as well. On the back of the letter, she scribbled a quick response and tossed the letter into the air. The bird caught it in its beak and flew in the direction of the Dark Nut's fortress. _To play the spy, or to play the friend? _she asked herself. That _is the question._

_

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Author's Note: That's chapter three, folks. Tell me what you thought of it.

Next time--Link and Erika explore the temple.


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